An Untold Story
by Mothball-Milkshake
Summary: What his life was like before Haruhi changed it all. Here is one take on how Koizumi may have changed over time in order to be a suitable 'Mysterious Transfer Student'. Warning - Will contain yaoi BXB . Starts three years before The Melancholy of Haruhi
1. Prologue

Disclaimer – I don't own The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi franchise, any of the characters, or scenarios. Haruhi and all related characters are the property of Nagaru Tanigawa. No copyright infringement is intended and no money is being made, thank you.

_A/N – This is going to be my first, more 'serious' FanFic. Let's hope I don't completely fail maybe?_

A/N#2 – This fic is set three and a half years before the Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi

_AN#3 - __Itsuki has confirmed to Kyon once that his outer personality is merely an artificial image he fakes in accordance to Haruhi's impression of him, and hints that his true character is something quite different, being "less pleasing" in the eyes of others. _

– _Quote, Wikipedia article on Koizumi Itsuki. Do not have the time to find Koizumi's exact line, if anybody can be bothered, do send it to me._

"Yo, Koizumi!" a gruff voice yelled from the darkness.

A young man leaning against a brick wall looked up with sharp eyes.

"Oh, it's just you," he muttered in disdain as the figure of a boy around sixteen came into the washed out glow of a streetlight.

"'Just me'?" the other boy said, annoyed. "Honestly, Koizumi, don't you care about anyone?"

"Of course I do!" said the one being addressed as 'Koizumi'. He was younger than the other one, probably only around fourteen years old. His age didn't show in the hard stare he gave his companion, nor in his height or build. He looked at least sixteen.

Flicking his bangs out of his eyes with one hand and tapping the cigarette he had been holding onto the ground with the other, he stepped towards the other boy, crushing out the still burning stick as he did so. "I mean, honestly, I care about myself! Is there anybody in the world worth caring about more?" he smirked.

"Anyway, Toshiro, what are you doing here?" he asked coldly.

"Nothing special, some guys were gathering together to write dirty- what?" he stopped his explanation at Koizumi's snort of derision.

"You lot. Defacing public property. Picking on the kids who aren't as confident. It's so immature," he stared at Toshiro.

"So what if it is? Nothing wrong with it, it's just a bit of fun," Toshiro defended himself.

"Fun? Honestly, this is what you call fun? You people disgust me," he turned away from his uninvited guest.

"We disgust you? And what are you doing out here, hey? Finally resorted to selling yourself?" Toshiro scoffed, walking up to Koizumi.

"Don't you dare try and touch me, or you'll be sorry," Koizumi told him, barely sparing him a glance. "And no, I'm not that far gone. Idiot. I'm just here to kill time."

Toshiro didn't pry. He knew all about Koizumi's troubled family life, and just assumed it had something to do with that tonight.

They stood in silence for a few minutes, Koizumi staring out into the park as the wind shook the trees, and Toshiro watching him do so.

Finally, there was a change in the brunette's stance as a particularly strong gust of wind blew through, and he shivered.

"Look," Toshiro sighed. "Come back to my place tonight. You'll freeze out here."

"No, thanks," Koizumi answered him shortly, unconsciously rubbing his arms just below where the sleeves of his school uniform reached.

Toshiro sighed again. He knew when he had lost. "Fine. You know, I was just trying to help."

"And I didn't ask for it, now shove off."

Toshiro shook his head, but slowly walked off.

Koizumi listened to his footsteps fading into the distance, then turned to watch the traffic on a distant highway.

Horns blares every now and then, but mostly it was quiet. He reasoned that things must have calmed down by now, but couldn't bring himself to go home.

He walked over to the park and sat down, leaning his back on a tree trunk.

* * * * *

Koizumi opened his eyes once the bright sunlight hit his eyelids, and groaned as he sat up. Had he fallen asleep? He must have. It was just sunrise, and – ow, was that a stick poking him in the arse? He stood and stretched, hearing the satisfying crack of his bones as they readjusted themselves.

He looked around the empty park, still wet with mist from last night, and looked down at his own clothes. Bit dirt stained, but otherwise not too bad. He decided to walk over to the small shopping district, and watched as the shopkeepers opened their stalls.

The smell of freshly cooking bread made his stomach growl, but he was damned if he was going home.

Instead, he calmly wandered over to the bakery and watched them moving the cooked loaves up to the front of the shop.

"Hey, what are you doing out so early?" the lady who owned the shop said to him.

He looked at her coldly, walked up to the counter, and picked up a freshly baked loaf.

"That's – hey! You can't just walk out without paying!" she shouted after him.

He put his finger up at her over his shoulder, then took off running as one of the younger chefs started to chase him.

He bolted around a street corner and nearly collided with Toshiro.

"Koizumi, what-" Koizumi clapped a hand over Toshiro's mouth and pulled him off into a little laneway, waiting until he saw the man chasing him had gone.

He dropped his elder as soon as his pursuer was out of sight, and bit into the loaf hungrily.

"Koizumi…don't tell me you stayed out all night?" said the older boy, taking in Koizumi's disheveled appearance.

Koizumi shrugged. "What's it to you? Fag," he said, holding his hand out.

Toshiro automatically pulled out his packet of cigarettes and handed one to the demanding youngster.

"Got a light?" Koizumi asked, not thanking him for the smoke.

Once the both of them had lit up and taken their first long drag, Toshiro saw fit to speak again.

"You going to school today?" he asked casually, met only with a shrug.

"You should…come on, you're what, fourteen years old? Don't turn your life into a waste of space," he tried to convince him

"Yeah, fine, whatever. If it'll get you off my back, I'll go," Koizumi replied, uncaringly.

"Why the fuck are you interested, anyway? It's not like you finished school," Koizumi glared at Toshiro.

"Yeah, well, at least I waited 'till I finished middle school to drop out, when it's legal," he mumbled, just loud enough for Koizumi to hear him and roll his eyes.

* * * * *

As the door slammed open, the people milling about the classroom looked up.

Some of the guys looked uncomfortable, and some uncaring. The girls seemed either concerned or annoyed.

"Koizumi-kun, are you all right?" a girl with long, brown hair spoke up, quietly.

He looked at her through his hair after sitting down.

"…Who are you?" he asked, putting his arms behind his head.

"Uhm, Koizumi-kun, you've been in my class all this year…and last year…Takada, remember?" she said, uncomfortably, as a few people turned to look at her for talking to the class hooligan.

"No."

"Oh, Koizumi-kun, you're so funny," she laughed shrilly, trying to pass it off as a joke.

He folded his arms back in front of him, giving her a hard glare. His eyes flicked over to the doorway, where he could see the headmaster coming around a corner.

"Ah, of course, Takada-chan!" his expression changed immediately to a wide smile.

The headmaster continued walking to their classroom, checking his watch as he did so.

"I was just messing with you, of course I wouldn't forget you," he said, standing up and wrapping his arms around her, pulling her close to his chest.

As the headmaster looked into the room and shook his head at the empty teachers desk before heading to the staff room, Koizumi muttered into Takada's ear.

"I don't care who you are, but unless you have a good reason to talk to me, don't do it," he said, a perfect smile still on his face.

She still had a shocked expression on her face as he let her go and sat back down, a look which was mirrored on most of the other students faces.

"Ahh~ sorry I'm late!" their teacher called as he walked into the room.

"K-Koizumi-san, nice of you to join us today!" he said in shaky tones.

Koizumi merely 'hmm'ed uncaringly.

The teacher rubbed his head uncomfortably and pulled out a piece of paper to mark who was there today. Koizumi pulled out a lighter and continuously flicked it on and off. Nobody told him to stop.


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer – I don't own The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi franchise, any of the characters, or scenarios. Haruhi and all related characters are the property of Nagaru Tanigawa. No copyright infringement is intended and no money is being made, thank you.

Koizumi huffed as he ran down the street. What the Hell was going on?

It had been about half a year since he'd last talked to Toshiro, it seemed the other boy was avoiding him.

He rounded a corner and almost ran into a businessman, talking loudly into his cell phone.

"What –hey, kid, slow down!" the man called after him. Koizumi shook his head and continued running.

It was easy enough to explain why there were people chasing him. Roughly 4 months ago, something very…odd, had happened. He'd been sitting in class, playing with his lighter, and the teacher had taken it off him.

In his frustration, Koizumi had clicked his fingers together rapidly, and all of a sudden, a flame had appeared at the tip of his finger.

Naturally, he had panicked, though the flame didn't seem to be hurting him, and opened his neighbor's bottle of water to put it out. Since then, strange things had been happening all the time – the most recent of which being the fact that he had somehow walked right into some kind of alternate, gray, dimension.

He had mostly kept to himself after that, he didn't want anybody finding out what he could do.

Unfortunately, obviously he hadn't kept his secret tightly enough.

It was earlier that day; he was just walking through the park, when a black van had driven past him.

An hour later, the same van passed him again, and soon after, while he was walking down the street, it had started following him.

Koizumi had ducked down a side street to avoid it, but it was there he ran into two men in black suits. He didn't know who they were, but he could tell they were after him. He bolted.

He turned another corner, having no idea where he was heading, perhaps his home, perhaps Toshiro's home, when he bumped into a woman. She grabbed his shoulders to steady him, and laughed.

"Woah, where's the fire? " She said.

Koizumi frowned, this woman was speaking English, and he didn't know very much of that language.

"I am sorry. I do not speak English very well," he said to her, hoping she spoke Japanese.

"Yes, well, we'll fix that…" she muttered, speaking in his own language.

"H-huh?" he exclaimed. "Are you with those guys who were – let go of me!" he ordered, realizing she had not taken her hands off his shoulders either.

"We'll have to work on your attitude, as well…" she told him, nodding over his shoulder.

He turned around to see the two men in suits approaching, and tried to break away. She had a surprisingly strong grip.

One of the men held out a small black box, and Koizumi felt a jolt go through him, before everything went black.

* * * * *

He awoke in a plain room, with two beds, two bedside tables and two wardrobes in it, but nothing else. Sitting up groggily, he looked around.

"Oh, you're awake!" somebody said, from the foot of his bed.

He turned his attention to the stranger, a boy with long black hair and a friendly smile. Well, 'boy' may not have been the correct term, as he seemed to be roughly 16.

"Yeah. Mind telling me where the Hell I am?" Koizumi asked, irritably.

"You mean you don't know?" the other boy replied, looking surprised.

Koizumi shook his head. "If I knew, I wouldn't be asking, would I?" he countered, rudely.

"Well…you're in a training facility," the young man said nervously, obviously put off by Koizumi's impolite manner.

"A training facility. I see. And who are you?" he asked, wondering what the hell this guy was on about.

"Oh, sorry, my name is Souta. You're Koizumi Itsuki, right?" 'Souta' replied, looking relieved when Koizumi nodded. "Oh, good. I've not had a roommate for ages, they put my last partner out on the field…"

"The field?" Koizumi interrupted.

"Well, yes. They need to have agents out there fixing the closed spaces and stopping the Shinjin's destroying everything, don't they?" Souta asked, looking amazed at Koizumi's apparent stupidity.

Koizumi glared at him. "I don't have any idea what you're talking about. Are you insane? Am I in a mental asylum?" he asked sharply. "Oh…that's it, isn't it. I'm in a fucking mental hospital. I haven't actually been doing anything supernatural; I'm just crazy…" he said to himself, lying back down on the pillows.

"Supernatural? You mean you've been using your abilities before you enrolled here?" his new 'roommate' asked, wide eyed.

"Abilities? What abilities? And what are you talking about? I never enrolled here. I got abducted," he said angrily, sitting up again.

"…How old are you?" this next question came as a surprise.

"Nearly 15. Why?" Koizumi responded, noticing a look of understanding come across Souta's face.

"Wow…you're the youngest person here. Everyone else I've seen is at least 16…" he said, awed. "You really have no idea what's going on, do you?" he asked, speaking quickly as he saw the look of exasperation on the young boys' face. "Okay, I'll try and explain it to you, since it's obvious that you don't – no what's going on, I mean," he looked around himself.

"We're in a training facility…a 'school', if you want to call it that. Have you heard of something called ESP?" he waited until Koizumi had nodded, then continued.

"Well, you might have noticed a little while ago, something inside you seemed different. Although it seems that your abilities have already begun to manifest themselves, even in this plane…" he said, almost to himself.

"So you're saying that these things I've been doing – it's all ESP?" Koizumi asked, doubtfully.

"Well, yes. You see, we may not seem at all the same, but that's something we have in common – we're both Espers," Souta told him.

"Right. And I've been dragged here to help me 'master' these 'abilities', to act in your little army? Forget it," Koizumi said skeptically, privately thinking that Souta was completely off his rocker.

"Well…sort of. You see, you are here to train, but it's to help neutralize closed spaces – they're these weird, gray worlds-"

"I've seen it," Koizumi muttered, cutting Souta off.

"Y-you have? How?" Souta asked, amazed.

"I don't know. Accidentally, I guess," Koizumi answered. "Anyway, what are they?"

"They're called Close Space. I can't explain what creates them, all I know is that when they appear, sometimes these blue giants appear, and destroy everything inside the Closed Space. We call them Shinjins, and that's what we're in training for. You see, Closed Space is usually the only place we can utilize our abilities, and we need to destroy the Shinjin before it destroys everything and escaped into our reality. Is any of this making sense?" he asked, concerned.

"I suppose. Why do I have these 'powers', though?" Koizumi asked, annoyed. "Did this place choose for me to have them, or what?"

"Apparently, it's random. It would have started about four months ago, right? That was when I first noticed something weird going on. Soon after, this man came to visit me and asked if I'd like to train my 'unique talent', and here I am! People have been showing up ever since."

"I'm guessing not many of them were kidnapped, like I was," Koizumi murmured.

Souta looked at the brunette's disheveled appearance, taking in the too-big leather jacket, torn jeans, and devil-may-care expression, and tried to reply politely.

"Uh…well, no offence to you, but perhaps they didn't think you'd come willingly?" he winced, waiting for Koizumi to explode. Rather, Koizumi let out a bark of laughter.

"Not come willingly? Hell, I would have done anything to get away from my ordinary life!" he exclaimed, a relaxed look taking over his reserved and careful facial expression for a moment. It barely lasted a few seconds, but Souta was quick to notice how much it changed his features.

"Anyway…I still think you're completely insane, but at least you're interesting. Okay, where is all this training?" he asked, the serious look back on his face.

* * * * *

"Apparently, we have a new recruit joining us!" a severe looking man announced from the front of the room, wherein Koizumi and Souta were squeezed towards the back of the group of people. Supposedly, if what Souta said was true, all 'Espers'.

"I hope somebody has caught him up on what we do here, because I won't be doing it. Souta, he's in your group now," the man addressed Koizumi's roommate, who nodded in response.

"Well, you all know what you're supposed to be doing. Go!" the man barked, and the group split into smaller groups, all muttering to each other and occasionally glancing at Koizumi, who glared at them.

"Come on, this way," Souta said, touching Koizumi on the arm to indicate he was supposed to follow him.

Koizumi jerked his arm away. "Don't touch me," he mumbled, but Souta was already walking off, along with some other teenagers Koizumi didn't recognize.

They travelled down a long hallway; finally stopping at a door marked 'Training Room 7'.

Koizumi looked curiously and apprehensively as Souta pushed open the door, and was startled to feel an almost static buzz go through him once he entered the room.

"I told you we couldn't use our abilities outside of Closed Space, didn't I?" Souta turned to look at him. "Yeah, I think I did. Anyway, this room, and a lot of the other training rooms like it, are linked to a device that resides in Closed Space. It's like a miniature version of the real thing – we can't use the same amount of energy as we would in an actual scenario, but we can still train ourselves," he explained.

Koizumi looked around and saw no teacher. "What are we supposed to do?"

"Well, we're still training on how to even activate our so called 'power's properly. I'll help you along," Souta offered.

"No. I'll be fine," Koizumi shrugged him off, and walked over to a corner of the room.

_Now…how did I do it that first time…_ he wondered to himself, clicking his fingers absently.

His mind drifted back to thoughts of his family, and whether they would notice he was gone. Probably not, he scowled. He then jumped as he noticed a flame had appeared on the tip of his finger, same as the first time it had happened.

_Right. Energy. Got it._

The rest of the 'lesson', which went for just over an hour, he attempted to keep the flame burning, and to channel more energy into it to make it bigger.


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer – I don't own The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi franchise, any of the characters, or scenarios. Haruhi and all related characters are the property of Nagaru Tanigawa. No copyright infringement is intended and no money is being made, thank you.

"Koizumi-kun, wake up," Souta's voice came out of the darkness to rouse the still sleeping brunette.

Koizumi groaned and turned over, fixing a glare on the other boy. The effect was rather lost on Souta, who sniggered at Koizumi's disheveled sleep look.

"Who said you could refer to me in such a familiar way, anyway?" he asked rhetorically, lifting himself up onto his elbows. He rubbed his eyes, trying to focus on his watch.

"You bastard, it's only five in the morning, why the Hell are you waking me up!?" he exclaimed, ignoring his roommate's cringe at the volume of his voice.

"We have field training today," he supplied, then continued, seeing Koizumi about to open his mouth to protest. "I know you've just joined the group, and usually new recruits wouldn't be taken out into field training, but our squad leader seems to think you'll be okay."

"What is this field training thing anyway?" Koizumi replied, finally swinging his legs out onto the floor.

"It doesn't have anything to do with fighting, really, they're just getting us into practice, showing us how to access the Closed Space," the explanation came quickly, the owner obviously not wanting another outburst.

Koizumi yawned and stretched, his brain still processing all this information. He picked up his jeans, and saw a pile of his own clothes waiting at the foot of his feet. Apparently, this Agency had delivered them to him while he was sleeping. Picking out a clean T-shirt, he walked towards the door leading into the hallway, waiting for a protest. When none came, he assumed he was permitted to first shower before they left, and headed out the door towards the bathroom.

* * * * *

Koizumi walked back into the room, still toweling his hair dry, to find Souta apparently sitting and waiting for him. He cast a curious look at the other boy, before dropping the towel onto the floor.

Without warning, the dark haired boy threw something at Koizumi, which he automatically caught. He looked down to see a simple breakfast bar in his hands.

"Nice reflexes," Souta said, simply. "Eat that. We'll be leaving soon, from the hall," he added, opening the door once again.

Koizumi sighed, and unwrapped his apparent breakfast before following his roommate down the hall.

He recognized the other people that he had trained with yesterday, milling about and waiting for their leader to come and usher them to the nearest Closed Space.

One of the boys walked past them, casting a dark look at Souta, who ignored it.

"Who's he, then?" Koizumi asked, vaguely interested.

"Oh, just somebody who came here around the same time I did," he answered, dismissively.

"Doesn't seem like you two get along," Koizumi continues probing.

"No, well, he seems to think there's some kind of competition between us – before you showed up, he and I would constantly switch between being top of the class," he added, looking at the younger boy. "Come on, we'll be leaving soon," he gestured towards a middle aged man, who had just entered the room.

"What do you mean, before I showed up?" Koizumi asked, even as they followed the man outside, into the pre-dawn light.

"Well, without any training at all, you've already surpassed where he and I were at even two months after joining," Souta didn't seem to be tired of explaining, following the group to a limousine.

Koizumi stopped, staring in awe at the huge car. Souta walked on for a few meters, before realizing his young charge was no longer with him. He turned back, laughing as he saw the look on Koizumi's face.

"What's the matter, never seen a limo before?" he joked. Koizumi shook his head, mutely. He was starting to like this Agency, though he had no idea how long that would last. He silently followed as the six members of the group piled into the car, leaving plenty of room to spare.

Koizumi looked around, taking in the huge interior of the car, before Souta finally brought him back to Earth. However, it wasn't him whom Souta was addressing, rather, the surly looking boy from earlier.

"Don't even think about trying anything today, Kinjo-san," he said, warningly, as the boy eyed Koizumi through his long fringe.

"Like what? Isn't it up to you to try and j-" he was cut off as one of the girls grabbed his arm.

"Kinjo-kun, that's enough," she told him, looking meaningfully at their driver. He yanked his arm away, but didn't say anything else. Souta nodded his gratitude to the girl.

"Thank you, Aya-san. I don't need him corrupting this young recruit," he jokes, inclining his head slightly to show that he was doing about Koizumi.

"Hmph. Already looks corrupted enough to me, without my help," Kinjo spoke up. Aya shot him a careful look, and he glared at her.

"Geez, get a room," Koizumi mumbled, loud enough for them to hear him.

"What did you say, you little bastard?" Kinjo hissed, leaning forward.

"Kinjo-kun, leave him alone," Aya said, sounding tired of his antics already.

"But he just-"

"Well, it's not like you haven't tried to get into my room before, anyway. Don't worry, he's only sore about your comment because he knows it will never happen," she added, directing the last part to Koizumi, who was eyeing the two with interest.

He sat back, smirking, but didn't say anything more on the subject, instead choosing to stay silent until the cat stopped, evidently arriving at their destination. He looked around curiously, not seeing anything of interest outside the windows other than a few small, abandoned buildings.

"Wow…lucky this time…last time the only unoccupied Closed Space was in the middle of the city…" Souta mutters, apparently to himself.

Koizumi scowls, so far unimpressed. Following Souta's lead, he stepped out of the car, cracking his shoulder deliberately after the car ride to loosen up his muscles.

Their instructor walks in front of them, giving them a stern look, quelling any previous talk that had been going on.

"Now. Some of you have already had experience entering Closed Space. Some of you have not. Going about it is something relatively simple – you are required to use the innate powers in yourself to respond to those surrounding this second dimension, and pass through the barrier," he explains shortly.

Souta looks around, deciding he ought to help Koizumi out, as it's his first time deliberately entering a Closed Space, but Koizumi is nowhere to be seen. He panics.

"Sensei!" he calls out, running up to their teacher as the rest of the recruits start attempting to enter the space. "Koizumi-kun, I think he's run off!" he elaborates, this answer being the only one he could think of.

The teacher glares off, away from his students. "I knew we'd have trouble with this one…I told them not to allow him out of the facility yet…well…" he mutters, pulling out a mobile phone.

"Hey, Souta, what's taking so long?" Koizumi's voice shouts from off to their right.

Souta slowly turns to look at Koizumi…or what of Koizumi is visible, as his head seems to be floating in midair.

The teacher blinks at him, putting the phone back inside his jacket pocket.

"What are you…uh…can you stop that?" Souta asks, distracted. Koizumi obliges, stepping forwards, allowing the rest of his body to materialize.

As Kinjo glares reproachfully over at them, Koizumi's face breaks into a wide grin, changing his usually surly, guarded features completely. Souta blushes, sure he shouldn't be noticing things like that.

"It's really weird in there…a bit cold…so quiet…" Koizumi muses; looking back at the spot he had just reappeared.

"Do you mean to tell me that you accessed Closed Space on your first conscious attempt?" the teacher asked, politely incredulous.

Koizumi shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets and falling behind his reserved expression once more. "I guess? Why, is that wrong?" he asked, only half joking.

"K-Koizumi-kun, that's absolutely incredible!" Souta exclaimed, rushing over to him. "How did you manage it? We've only been to Closed Space once before, and nobody else has even gotten close!" he revealed, not noticing the smug look his roommate shot Kinjo.

"Hey…what's it like in there?" he asked, curious.

"I…I can't really describe it…" Koizumi replied, completely honest. Souta sighed, but grins at him.

"Oh well, I guess I'll have to find out for myself then, right? How does the saying go…'would you care to teach an old dog, new tricks'?" he laughed.

Koizumi looked at him suspiciously.

"Uh…I just meant…could you help me out?" Souta added weakly. Still confused by Souta's earlier comment, Koizumi nonetheless led him over to the spot he had been standing at before.

"I don't know how much of a help I'll be, I don't know how I did it. It just kind of seemed like there was a wall…and only I could find the door for it, or something," Koizumi tried to explain.

Souta held his hand out experimentally. "I've never been told to picture it like that…" he said conversationally, before his face took on a look of concentration.

If he looked closely, Koizumi could see the air wavering slightly around Souta's hand, but didn't say anything, choosing instead to let the boy figure it out for himself.

"S…so if I can open it up, I'll be through?" Souta asked, keeping his eyes fixed on his hand. Koizumi rolls his eyes; putting out his own arm and giving Souta a sharp push in the back. A moment later, the shocked look not gone from his face; Koizumi's roommate was gone.

"Hey, what did you do?" an angry voice came from Koizumi's left. He turned around to see, once again, Kinjo, looking at the space where his long time rival had been standing.

"What did you do to him, you little freak?" The older boy repeated storming up to him.

"I didn't do anything. Looks like he managed to get into Closed Space without your help," Koizumi replied coolly, and, turning his back on the easily aggravated student, stepped forward, after Souta.

He found Souta staring in wonderment around himself, at the gray, empty world they were standing in.

"Wow…" he said in awe. "I wish I knew what created this…"

Koizumi nodded briefly, the initial shock of the strange environment having already worn off for him. He absentmindedly held his palm in front of himself, attempting to channel energy down into his hand. Souta looked around as the flash of light caught his eye.

"Koizumi-kun, what are you…" he trailed off upon seeing the small, spinning orb Koizumi had created. Koizumi looked up, an expression of concentration on his face, before flicking his wrist, allowing the conjured ball to disappear.

"Come on. We should get back," he said shortly, grabbing Souta by the arm and heading back out, only to face the impressed looks of his fellow recruits. He scowled at them.

"I'm heading back to the car," he announced, not wanting to talk to anybody about how he had managed what he'd just done. He would leave that to Souta. Walking back to the limo, a flicker of pride rose in his chest, and he allowed himself a self-satisfied smirk.

* * * * *

"That was…what you did today I mean…it was just…wow…" Souta said, falling onto his bed.

Koizumi shrugged. "It wasn't that great, just shut up about it already, would you?" he said, irritated. People had been hounding him ever since he had gotten back, and he was absolutely sick of it. Souta didn't flinch at Koizumi's rough attitude towards him, having already accepted it.

"By the way, you have an appointment with one of the higher ups tomorrow, over in C-block office," he added, remembering the note that had come to their room earlier.

"Fantastic," Koizumi replied, pulling out a book that had also arrived with his clothing.

"They're probably going to put you on the field, like they did with my last roommate," Souta continued.

"Wonderful."

"You know, you're the first person to come here and learn as much as you have in just a week," Souta tried again.

"Spiffing," Koizumi announced, finally looking up from the book.

"Well, I just thought you'd be…I don't know…happy about it?" Souta asked, confused.

"Happy about being promoted in an Agency I was abducted into. Makes perfect sense."

"Well you don't have to be so sarcastic about it…" Souta scowled. Koizumi rolled his eyes.

"If you're going to take offence at what I say, maybe they should have chosen a different person for me to room with. You're kind of a p…pansy," Koizumi stopped himself at the last moment, not even sure why.

"Hey! I am not," Souta grumbled, very clearly sulking.

"You are. You'll never be able to stand up properly to that guy if you can't take rude speaking," Koizumi added, turning back to the book.

"Well…uhm…" Souta trailed off, seeing Koizumi flick a page over in his book, clearly indicating the conversation was over.


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer – I don't own The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi franchise, any of the characters, or scenarios. Haruhi and all related characters are the property of Nagaru Tanigawa. No copyright infringement is intended and no money is being made, thank you.

_A/N – Time for an IRL mini-story. (IRL? What's an IRL?)_

_*Ten minutes ago*_

_Me: Hey, that's a cool quote, I should incorporate it into my FanFic sometime…_

…

_Me: OH GOD, MY FANFICS. How long has it been since I updated? What do I have still going? *Reviews latest updates and FanFic popularity* Okay…that H/D one got a lot of reviews, but An Untold Story has gone the longest without an update, other than my Wizard of Parody which nobody reads any way I think…I'll put it on hiatus and get my popular FanFics updated before thinking about that…_

_Friend: Uh…yay?_

_Me: *Re-reads last chapter of AUS* Oh man…_

_*End flashback*_

_I 'Oh manned' because only now have I noticed the constant typos and past/present tense shifting. I'm sorry, I was roleplaying at the time, and for that we use present tense, so if it confused anybody, I'm sorry. The typos, I'm going to leave. Some are rather amusing. 'Walking towards the cat' instead of 'car', for instance._

_So uh, I hope you're not going to come after me with torches and pitchforks because of my slow updates…_

_Kyon: Of course not, this is nowhere near as popular as your fluffy Naruto/Sasuke or that other…ugh, Haruhi fic you did…_

_Me: __

…_Long A/N is long. Do people even read these?_

Koizumi made the trek up the seemingly never-ending staircase, grateful that at least he didn't have to be up at the crack of dawn for this meeting. He had finally gotten a decent breakfast that morning, the first one he could remember in, well, ages.

He glanced down at the note in his hand, just to make certain for the 14th time that he was heading to the correct room. Despite his calm, collected attitude when he had left his room earlier, inside, he was extremely nervous.

_What if they make me go back to my home? What if they decide I need to room by myself? Or, ugh, what if they decide to put me in a room with even more people? That would be terrible…Souta I can stand, but if I had to deal with that Kinjo guy on a daily basis, I'd probably jump out the window. Not there are windows. Hey, are we underground? We did have to go up a lot of steps when we went out yesterday…_

His thoughts came to a halt as he finally reached the door with a plague reading 'executive assignment transfer' and below it, a smaller sign; 'subsequent training'.

He rolled his eyes.

_Everything sounds more impressive if you put 'executive' in front of it. What does it even mean, anyway?_

His new sarcastic thoughts gave him the confidence to knock loudly on the heavy wooden door, and he waited briefly for a response.

A buzzing, crackling noise came from his right, and he looked down to see a small speaker. "State your name," a gruff voice said.

Koizumi grinned slightly, amused by the theatrics.

"Koizumi Itsuki!" he replied, pompously. A small pause, then a loud 'click' noise resounded through the hallway, and it took Koizumi a second to realize the door had unlocked itself.

He tentatively pushed against it, and it fell open with an ominous creaking sound. He shook his head, and laughed.

"Look like you need to get some oil in this," he quipped, stepping into the room and gesturing at the hinges of the door.

An un-amused gaze settled itself on him, and Koizumi responded by lounging against the doorframe.

"Well, why'd you call me up here?" he asked in annoyance, casually studying the man sitting in front of him.

He was middle aged, with graying black and beard, and he was scrutinizing Koizumi in just the same way.

"Sit," the man said suddenly, waving his hand at the chair in front of him. Koizumi gingerly sat on the edge of the chair, and once realizing that it wasn't wired up to anything suspicious, allowed himself to relax.

"Koizumi-kun, you've been called up here to undertake serious training for a new assignment," the explanation came as quickly as the previous command, and Koizumi had to stop looking around in order to focus on what was going on.

"The cause of Closed Space has been closely monitored-"

"Wait, you know the cause? Souta said you had no clue!" Koizumi interrupted, frowning.

"By the Organization for some time now," the man continued, as though Koizumi hadn't said anything. "Although we doubt that she is aware she is doing it, everything you see around you, indeed, even what you have become, was caused by this girl," the man slid a photograph across the desk. Koizumi picked it up, looked at it for a grand total of 5 seconds, and slowly placed it back down again.

"Ri-ght," he said slowly, doubting the strange man in front of him. "You're saying that your entire world was created by a thirteen year old girl?"

"Not just ours. We believe that she is quite capable of rebuilding the very structure of the Earth, if she so wishes. Closed Space is just a manifestation of her feelings, the Shinjins are a way for her to express her pent up emotions. If she became aware of her own power, she could well destroy this world and make another one, on a mere whim," the man said seriously. Koizumi scoffed.

"So, the fate of the Earth is in the hands of a middle-school girl. Perfect. God-modding if I ever saw it…" he mumbled.

"What?" the reply was quick, and Koizumi realized he must have said something he shouldn't.

"It's an…uh…expression, used in games, when one player is controlling everything…" he explained, uncomfortable under the sharp gaze of this strange man.

Apparently satisfied with the explanation, he sat back. "Yes…I suppose that is an accurate assumption," he muttered, just barely loud enough for Koizumi to hear.

The silence stretched on, it almost seemed as though this guy had forgotten Koizumi was even here.

"So, I don't get it, what is it you want me to do?" he asked, impatient.

"You are the closest member of our agency to her, age-wise, that is. Suzumiya Haruhi begins high school in a matter of a few years, and we believe you have the ability to get close to her, for closer study and control of the situation. You will continue with your ordinary training, but will also undergo rigorous social and personality guidance, so that you have a higher chance of her wishing to befriend you," Koizumi was told, to his utter shock.

"Wait, what about my say? Do I get an opinion?" he realized how ridiculous this notion was as soon as it left his mouth, however, and slumped back in his chair. Affecting a false look of nonchalance, he put his hands behind his head and looked away.

"So for the next two and a half years, you're going to teach me to behave exactly like one of your little puppets, right?" he asked lazily.

"You will be doing important and dangerous work for the Organization. Allowing yourself to get close to the target will ensure our ability to procure a method of stopping her strange abilities. Koizumi-kun, get your feet off my desk," he added sternly.

Feeling rather like an admonished schoolboy, Koizumi complied.

"Your training will begin next week, please make yourself present in the A wing study hall at 10AM sharp on Monday morning. You may go."

The dismissal was brief, and left Koizumi feeling a bit brushed off, even as he closed to door behind him.

"So I've got to baby-sit some emotional bitch, huh?" he mused, already beginning the walk back to his room. His stomach gave a loud grumble, and he remembered that it had been several hours since he had had breakfast. He changed course slightly, heading for the dining hall.

* * * * *

"Koizumi-kun!" a familiar voice greeted him as soon as he walked through the doors. "What did they want, are you getting moved onto the field?" Souta asked excitedly.

Koizumi eyed Kinjo, who was attempting to surreptitiously listen in to their conversation.

"I'll tell you later. What's on the menu today?" he changed the subject. Souta looked put out for a moment, before answering.

"The same as yesterday. Fried rice with onigiri," he informed Koizumi. Koizumi groaned. He hated onigiri.

Vaguely hoping that something different would be available the next day, he piled his plate high with the rice, allowing no room for Souta to force the onigiri onto him.

With Souta chattering in his ear about what he'd been up to that morning, Koizumi made his way over to the nearest empty table, and made a useless attempt at getting Souta to stop talking.

"Eat," he commanded briefly, picking up one of Souta's own onigiri with his chopsticks and roughly forcing it into his mouth. Souta took the food automatically, but it didn't even start to slow down his speech. Apparently, this boy was a wonder at multitasking.

"So, when will you tell me what you got called up for?" Souta asked around a mouthful of rice.

"So, the new guy got called into head office, did he?" a jeering voice came from behind them. Koizumi didn't even have to turn around to know who it was. He continued eating his lunch as though uninterrupted.

"What does it matter to you, jealous?" Oh no. Souta had risen to the bait. Koizumi let his eyes close in frustration.

"Of him? Hardly. In fact, I really thought that you could do a lot better," Kinjo replied, a mocking tone underlying his words.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Souta asked defensively.

"As thrilling as this argument is," Koizumi interrupted before Kinjo had a chance to reply. "I'm sure I can find something better to do. Let's go, Souta," he added, standing up. As he passed the scowling boy who had come to interfere with them, he casually put his hand on his shoulder.

"By the way," he started, glancing at Kinjo. "You have something on your shirt," Koizumi informed him, removing his hand from Kinjo's shoulder to reveal what remained of his own lunch. Before the boy could get angry, he grabbed Souta's arm and bolted.

Making it back to their shared room, Koizumi slammed the door behind him and collapsed with laughter.

"Oh, did you see the look on his face?" he asked, his face shining with the excitement of a fourteen year old who had just pulled off a successful prank. Which, Souta had to remind himself, he was.

"You're going to cop it for that one, Koizumi-kun," he reprimanded, although he couldn't keep the grin from spreading across his own features.

Once they had both composed themselves, Souta broached the topic he'd been trying to start all afternoon.

"So, are you going to tell me why they called you up?" he asked, noticing the change in his roommates expression as he was reminded of exactly where he was.

"Oh, yeah, some new special training thing," he waved his hand dismissively.

"Special training? What for?" Souta pressed on.

"Just a theory they have, I guess, about Closed Spaces. I don't know, I didn't really get it. Don't ask me, I just work here, right?" he feigned ignorance, even though he had understood every word that was said to him.

"Right…" Souta replied, knowing that he was being kept out of the loop, somehow. "When does your new training start, then?"

Koizumi racked his brain for the exact time said to him earlier. "Uh…10 O'clock on Monday, I think it was," he announced.

"Wow, it doesn't even clash with our normal training? You're still doing that, then?" Souta asked, very eager to know more.

"No, I guess not. The guy said I'd be doing both. Are we done talking about this?" Koizumi replied, showing discomfort for the first time. Souta realized how strange it must be for him, not even two weeks after being abducted into this strange new life, and he was already receiving special tasks.

"Yeah, sure. What do you want to do for the next few hours? We've got time before dinner. How about we go to the games hall?" he asked, deliberately changing the subject.

"You have a games hall?" Koizumi asked, a glimmer of interest showing itself under his projected mask of calm, calculating suspicion.

Souta grinned. "Yeah, probably the best one you've seen. It's huge. Come on, let's go." He got up, leading Koizumi out the door.

"Fine, but I'll beat you at anything they've got," Koizumi answered, casually enough, but a definite challenge in his sentence. Souta smiled.

"Yeah, I'm sure you will."


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer – I don't own The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi franchise, any of the characters, or scenarios. Haruhi and all related characters are the property of Nagaru Tanigawa. No copyright infringement is intended and no money is being made, thank you.

_A/N – I have my doubts as to whether people even read this fic, let alone the Author's Notes._

Monday morning arrived far too quickly for Koizumi; he had been enjoying the two days of freedom the weekend offered. Roused from his slumber by the alarm his roommate had forced him to set the night before, he flung out an arm and effectively stopped the beeping.

"You do that's the fifth alarm clock you've broken this week, right?" Souta asked good-naturedly from his own bed. Koizumi turned his head and cracked an eye open to see the older boy sitting comfortably on his bed with his legs crossed, reading a book.

He looked at the time. "What? Eight O'clock? Are you serious? Why so early?" he muttered, glaring at the feebly flashing lights on the broken clock as though it was to blame for Souta's early rising tendencies.

"Well, I figured you'd want time to actually wake up. Can't have you performing on an empty stomach, or half asleep, right? What was it you said they're training you for again?" his roommate asked lightly.

"Becoming a bunny tamer. Let me sleep," Koizumi was unaffected by the so called surprise question, as Souta had been using the same tactic all weekend, hoping to shock an answer from his young friend.

"No can do, if I let you go to sleep now, you won't wake up until twelve. You don't really want to find out how they punish you, right?" Souta joked, although there was a serious undertone to his voice that Koizumi recognized, and he forced himself to sit up.

"I suppose you're right. Breakfast still on?" Koizumi rubbed his hands over his face, and upon receiving no response, looked over at the other boy. "What?"

Souta shook his head, shaking himself out of his apparent stupor.

"Sorry, I was just thinking how different you are now than you were when you came here," he answered, looking back at his book.

"Well, I suppose that's what a bed and regular meals will do to you, even if you are an unwilling pawn for some faceless boss," Koizumi muttered, ignoring Souta's questioning look.

He yawned widely and deliberately rolled out of bed, relying on the hard jolt that hitting the floor would give him to wake him up. Sure enough, Souta heard a grunt of pain from inside the now tangled pile of blankets on the floor, and snorted.

"Want some help?" he asked cheerfully. Far too cheerfully for this early in the morning, in Koizumi's opinion.

"No. I'm fine," the pile of blankets answered, as the boy hidden inside struggled to free himself from his own little cocoon.

"Hmm. Alright then," Souta hummed, choosing to ignore the increasingly violent movement on the floor, instead going back to his reading.

Eventually, a ruffled and annoyed Koizumi emerged, rolling his eyes at the perfectly composed boy calmly ignoring his actions.

"You didn't use up the hot water, did you?" he asked, having already become familiar with the habits of his roommate.

"I've been up for over an hour, you'll be fine," Souta waved his hand at the bathroom, sniggering as Koizumi almost tripped over the blankets he had left on the floor.

"Just don't take too long, you do want breakfast, right?" he added as the door slammed behind Koizumi. He received no answer. He chuckled to himself as he unfolded himself from the position he'd been in for the past hour, stretching and walking across the floor to pick up after his messy roommate.

* * * * *

After a hurried breakfast, due to the time he had taken to shower and get dressed, Koizumi walked nervously to the A wing he'd been told to report to. Walking into the empty study hall, his footsteps echoed loudly against the walls. He was struck with the strong urge to shout and test out how well that echo worked, but somehow managed to restrain himself.

"Koizumi Itsuki, I presume?" a female voice greeted from his left. He showed no sign of surprise, but turned to look at her. It was the same woman he had run into when he was first abducted into this place.

"Possibly, are you sure you aren't talking to somebody else?" Koizumi replied, making a jab at the fact that he was the only one here.

"Confirming your identity is a necessity that I am forced to adhere to," she answered briskly, walking towards him.

"I see. You don't recognize me? Honestly, I thought we had something special," he quipped, with all the grace a fourteen year old could muster.

She adjusted the glasses on her nose, looking at him carefully. "This is an irrelevant conversation. I am here to tutor you in personality development," she stated.

"There's something wrong with my personality?" he asked, slightly offended.

"Our aim is to have Suzumiya Haruhi become interested in you. It would also assist us if you were to be more cooperative," she answered, without directly addressing his question.

Koizumi flicked his hair from his eyes. "I see. Well, I guess you're making an offer I simply can't refuse. Where do we start?" he sneered, leaning up against the wall automatically.

"Stand up straight," the woman barked. Koizumi, shocked by her sudden change of tone, complied.

"You may start by addressing me as Usami-sensei. I expect your full attention at all times, unless you have been instructed differently. You have been chosen for this assignment merely due to your age," she rattled off. Koizumi frowned. He had the feeling that these sessions weren't to be very pleasant for him.

"These lessons will commence each Monday, from 10 AM until 12 PM, and on Thursdays from 3 PM until 5 PM. Do not miss a lesson. If you miss a lesson, you are required to have a believable excuse, and take my word for it, they won't believe you are ill unless you have actually checked in and been admitted to the infirmary," she looked over the top of her glasses at Koizumi's incredulous expression, and smiled slightly.

"Now that the formalities are complete, I shall explain to you the courses you will be undertaking," she waited for Koizumi to nod in acknowledgment before continuing.

"Our first course of action may not sound very pleasant, but it is put in place to change your attitude – I said it wasn't pleasant," she interrupted, as Koizumi opened his mouth to protest. He scowled. "Koizumi-kun, it is mere fact that you have what is commonly called a bad attitude problem. We simply mean to teach you a suitable level of social functionality. You will be taught how to act perfectly socially acceptable, and to adhere to Suzumiya-san's beliefs. Each lesson thereafter will relate back to this," she finished, and Koizumi stared at her blankly.

She sighed.

"You have heard of acting, yes?" he nodded. "Think of this as a continuous role until further notice."

"Okay. So, when are we going to start?" he asked, genuinely interested in the lessons ahead. Usami-sensei blinked. His willingness to participate was certainly not counted on, although it would make her job far easier. She smiled.

"Take a seat, Koizumi-kun," she instructed, gesturing towards a desk towards the far right wall. As he made himself comfortable, she admonished him.

"Sit straight. And stop scowling, Koizumi-kun. I'm sure you'd be a much more attractive boy if you put a smile on your face."

He felt as though this woman was acting as the mother he had never properly had, and, deciding to humour her, planted a blank smile on his face.

"Excellent. Now, first of all, there is to be no swearing…" the lesson finally commenced, Koizumi's new teacher beginning the long and arduous task of breaking down his personality and creating it anew.

* * * * *

"Koizumi-kun, how was your top secret new training?" Souta grinned as Koizumi walked into the physical training facilities, fresh from his new life lessons.

"Not so secret anymore, apparently," he answered tiredly, looking over at Kinjo who was attempting to eavesdrop.

Souta noticed Koizumi's gaze, and wisely decided to drop the conversation for now.

"So, what are we doing today?" Koizumi asked, looking around at the larger than usual room.

"Something about activating powers at full capacity…you only came here a few weeks ago, so you haven't got as much training, but obviously they think you'll handle it," Souta answered, talking from the corner of his mouth as their instructor walked into the room.

"I am here to demonstrate what fully activating your innate powers looks like. It will take several weeks to master and control," he announced, and, once he had the full attention of everybody in the room, a look of intense concentration came over his face. Koizumi raised his eyebrows cynically, but Souta was looking at the man with a look of focus on his own face. Rolling his eyes, Koizumi almost missed the moment when the older man began to gather an unearthly red glow about him, although this did manage to finally capture his full attention.

Over the next minute, the man glowed more and more brightly, until he was merely a red ball of energy hovering where he had once stood. The ball raised itself higher into the air, to the awed silence of the students.

"I expect you to work this out yourselves," the voice seemed to echo through all of their minds, and even Koizumi was impressed as the ball returned to the floor and resumed the shape of the instructor who had walked into the room at the beginning of their session.

Nodding at everyone gathered, the man then left, allowing them to go about their own methods of training.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Souta muttered, rubbing his eyes.

Koizumi blinked, and the light he had been staring at seemed to be imprinted onto the insides of his eyelids. He pressed his palms against his eyes, but that only made white spots dance in front of him. He reopened his eyes to see Souta staring at a wall, concentrating as though his life depended on it. He laughed quietly to himself.

He had no need to learn this for the Agency, since he felt no sense of duty towards them, but it did seem like an impressive thing to be able to do. Therefore, he focused all his energy on teaching himself what he had just been shown.


End file.
